It was reported in Prevention Magazine (July 2009) that "South Carolina researchers followed 40,547 adults ages 20 to 90 for more than 3 decades and discovered that swimmers--regardless of age--were about 50% less likely to die during the study than were sofa sitters, walkers, and runners." The article went on to say that "scientists speculate that water-based workouts are tops for lifelong fitness, thanks to their low injury risk and built-in full-body toning combined with joint-friendly cardio."
Tip: Did you know that 680 calories/hour are burned swimming laps? Resource: Source: The Compendium of Physical Activities Tracking Guide, 2002
Getting Started:
Workout gear: comfortable goggles, competitive style suits, waterproof wristwatch, swim cap (to keep hair off your face and to also keep you warm). You may also want to consider kick boards, pull buoys, flippers, and/or hand paddles. These can often be found at the pol, but you may want to purchase some for yourself.- Workouts: Set some realistic goals for each workout. For swim workouts, go to http://www.swimplan.com/. Swimplan is an online service that provides FREE personalized swimming workouts for all levels of swimming from beginners to advanced swimmers. Your first workouts should be easy, as you build base mileage and work on your technique. Include an adequate warm-up, main work set, and a cool down.
- Training schedule: Set a weekly training schedule. Plan on three to five 30-60 minute workouts each week.
- Keep a training diary: As you progress, keep track of your accomplishments.
- Compete: As you get in shape, you may want to compete! Find meets and choose races based on the goals you have set.
